CHANNEL NEWS

Cisco Systems Inc., San Jose, Calif., announced a "New World" sales and service strategy designed to meet customer needs for IP-enabled customer contact and unified communications platforms and solutions.

The strategy, announced May 23, takes a four-pronged approach to market delivery and deployment of Cisco's Internet Communications Software Group's (ICSG) software platforms. This approach includes Cisco's partner strategy for consultant integrators, systems integrators and resellers as well as application service providers and outsourcers.

"To bring the value of our software platforms and of converged applications to as wide a market as possible, we are extending our ecosystem partnership approach to ASPs and outsourcers," said Eugene Lee, vice president of marketing for Cisco's newly formed Internet Communications Software Group.

As part of the company's consultant integrator program, Cisco announced relationships with Deloitte Consulting, New York; Ernst & Young International, New York; Hewlett-Packard Co., Palo Alto, Calif.; KPMG Consulting Inc., McLean, Va.; and PricewaterhouseCoop-ers LLP, New York. It also announced pacts with a range of more focused consultancies such as Spanlink Communications, Minneapolis; Cambridge Technology Partners, Cambridge, Mass.; eLoyalty Corp., Lake Forest, Ill.; and Extraprise Group Inc., Boston.

The consultant integrator program focuses on three activities to accelerate the adoption of software platforms and solutions: knowledge transfer and engagement mentoring, repeatable solutions and services, and collaborative sales engagement models.

All of Cisco ICSG's software products are now available to channel partners that may choose to resell any or all of the ICSG software product suite. Resellers now can add ICSG software products to their solutions portfolio, whether they are already a Cisco network hardware reseller.

The current list of systems integrators and software resellers includes companies such as New York-based Bell Atlantic Call Center Services, Hewlett-Packard, Science Applications International Corp., San Diego, and Unisys Corp., Blue Bell, Pa.Network Solutions Inc., Herndon, Va., and Dell Computer Corp., Round Rock, Texas, will incorporate co-branded registration services across both companies' Web sites to enable businesses and consumers with varying levels of technical expertise to easily register domain names.Under the strategic agreement, announced on May 22, Dell customers will be able to register and host their own dot-com, dot-net and dot-org domain names available on www.DellHost.com.

Dell plans to make available Network Solutions' domain-name registration services on PCs for small- and midsize businesses to provide a one-stop shop for domain-name registrations and hosting.

"The combined products and services of two world leaders in the Internet enhances and expands our Web services for millions of existing and new customers," said Doug Wolford, senior vice president-general manager of Network Solutions' Registrar.

"The positive response to DellHost indicates that Dell's capabilities and expertise are meeting real customer needs in the market for Web-hosting services," said Tim Mattox, vice president at DellHost. "Our business partnership with Network Solutions will enhance our ability to help our customers move their businesses on the Web."